What are the options for expiation when one has killed game while in the state of Ihram?
Chapter on Ransom (Fidyah) and Penalty for Hunting
Al-Mughni
Book of Hajj
Primary text
The hunter is granted free choice among three options for the expiation: sacrificing the equivalent animal (*al-mithl*), feeding the poor (*ta'ām masākīn*), or fasting (*ṣiyām*). If one chooses the equivalent, the animal must be slaughtered and the meat given as a *Hady* (offering) to the poor of the Haram, as it is specifically named a *Hady* in the Quranic text (Quran 5:95), which necessitates slaughter. Slaughter may occur at any time, not exclusively during the days of Eid al-Adha.
Supporting text
A second view, narrated from Ibn Abbas, Al-Thawri, maintains a strict sequence: first, the equivalent must be offered; if impossible, then feeding; if impossible, then fasting. A third view claims that feeding is not mandatory, and the mention of food is only to specify the measure for fasting, based on a narration from Ibn Abbas, Al-Shu'bi, and Abu 'Iyadh.